PrintFriendly
SAURABH PATEL
(Former Cabinet Minister, Govt. of Gujarat)
What was considered impossible for decades was turned possible with Shri Narendra Modi’s will to work for the people of Gujarat. Narendra Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister successfully accomplished the task to provide 24-hour uninterrupted power supply to rural households through Jyotigram Yojana.
Though the Jyotigram Yojana was launched in 2006, successfully providing 24-hour power supply to the rural households of 18,000 villages of Gujarat, but completion of this task was not easy. It was only due to political will of then CM Shri Narendra Modi which actually worked for successful completion of this yojana.
Jyotigram Yojana was launched in 2006, successfully providing 24-hour power supply to the rural households of 18,000 villages of Gujarat… It was only due to political will of then CM Narendra Modi which actually worked for successful completion of this yojana
Shri Saurabh Patel, Former Minister for Energy, Gujarat narrates how Shri Narendra Modi’s leadership made Jyotigram Yojana a reality.
Shri Narendra Modi used to visit villages in Gujarat during election campaigns. Villagers used to register their complaint of unavailability of electricity. Shri Modi once came across a specific incident where villagers told him that there is no electricity even at the time of dinner. They went ahead to request him if he can do something to provide electricity at least at the time of dinner. That proved to be the striking moment for Shri Narendra Modi to make his decision.
CM Shri Narendra Modi started round of discussions with senior officials and Gujarat Electricity Board for this. The bureaucrats termed it an impossible task as the feeders providing subsidized electricity for agriculture can’t be used to provide electricity for households. He decided to have separate feeders for subsidized and agricultural electricity.
The mission hit another roadblock after GEB officials informed him that it would require lakhs of poles, transformers and separate wirings for this and they may not have the manpower for these works.
But it was only the will of Shri Narendra Modi which made him go ahead with this project and complete it in almost 1000 days of its announcement.
In 2006, then President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam launched Jyotigram Yojana in Gujarat. He termed it a revolutionary step towards strengthening of the rural India and the nation as well.
Jyotigram Yojana, provided uninterrupted power supply to every village of Gujarat. The scheme was so successful that it is now being implemented at the national level as well. Such was the futuristic vision of Shri Narendra Modi.